The schedule for Week 12 in college football features two major SEC showdowns. Our experts make picks for those matchups and every Top 25 games.
Dear, New York Giants: Please take Bill Belichick off our hands. Signed, North Carolina
Profound change is there for North Carolina. All it's going to take is the NFL to take football coach Bill Belichick off its hands.
Giants' Tony Vitello has mature response to Joe Maddon's ‘insulting' comments
Giants' Tony Vitello has mature response to Joe Maddon's ‘insulting' comments originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Tony Vitello is taking any criticism regarding his historic MLB hire in stride.
The new Giants manager spoke with The San Francisco Standard’s John Shea at the General Managers Meetings in Las Vegas, and was asked about the viral comments former manager Joe Maddon made on KNBR 680 earlier this week, where he stated he was “insulted” by Vitello, with no major-league coaching experience, landing San Francisco’s managerial position.
“I get it. I just wonder if he’ll still take my call, because he was on my list of people that I wanted to call and seek out advice,” Vitello said of Maddon’s remarks. “There’s a couple of very specific reasons for that with his history. So I wonder if he’ll still take that call. I’ve used him as an example often in recruiting. One thing we did at Tennessee was really try to allow guys to be who they are. That kind of became our brand name, and that’s something that he did with the Cubs in particular.”
Vitello then was asked if he was offended by Maddon’s comments.
“Not at the moment,” Vitello said. “Everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. For me as I sit here, if it truly is an insult, then that is a segue to saying it’s not going to work. So if it doesn’t work, the Giants will be just fine. I’ll be the one that suffers in that situation.
“You start with, “What is going on in college baseball that can help in pro baseball?” And then you go back to college with, “Hey, this is what I learned in pro baseball.” Regardless, it’s a beneficial situation for some people in baseball, and you’re talking about a guy who’s done an enormous amount in baseball in Joe.”
Maddon, in explaining why he was “insulted” by the Giants hiring Vitello, also wished the first-time MLB manager well and admitted he understood what made Vitello such an intriguing candidate.
Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper also weighed in on Maddon’s remarks, slyly stating that he was insulted by Maddon being insulted.
While others are insulted, it doesn’t appear Vitello is one bit. And perhaps that’s all that matters.
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‘The butt of every joke’: when Wolves were relegated three seasons in a row
Wolves are yet to win a game in the Premier League this season but their older fans know it could be far worse
You fear for Wolves. Eleven matches into the season they are without a win, have sacked manager Vítor Pereira and look likely to be relegated after nearly a decade in the Premier League. It turns out that selling your best players and failing to replace them adequately is not a recipe for success. But surely things cannot be as bad as they were during the 1980s, when they went from the First Division to the Fourth Division in three years.
Wolves experienced the perfect start to the decade when they won the League Cup in 1980, beating the reigning European champions Nottingham Forest at Wembley. But all was not well at the club. The decline can be traced back to their decision in the late 1970s to spend £3m on the John Ireland Stand (now the Steve Bull Stand) at Molineux, which left the club financially drained during a time of declining attendances. They were relegated from the top flight at the end of the 1981-82 season and, with debts totalling £2.5m, were minutes away from going out of business that summer.
Continue reading...Buster Posey, Giants focused on pitching in offseason, but spending limits exist
Buster Posey, Giants focused on pitching in offseason, but spending limits exist originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
LAS VEGAS — For much of Buster Posey’s first season as the Giants’ president of baseball operations, the focus was on simply watching and listening.
Posey was a regular in the Giants’ dugout during batting practice, often sitting on a folding chair in the back corner and observing workouts as he chatted with any coach or team leader who would stop by. Despite having four young children, he was a presence on road trips. The entire front office gathered in the same city multiple times, giving Posey a chance to listen to not just those who work at Oracle Park, but also the player development staffers from Arizona, international scouts based in Latin America, and members of the amateur scouting group.
Posey learned that there’s value in pushing a rival exec to complete a surprise trade in June, and also that there’s danger in extending a contract before you’re 100 percent certain. He saw how deadline plans can go up in smoke over the course of a bad homestand. He watched the lineup complete thrilling comebacks, but also go into slumps that were hard to watch.
But mostly, Posey discovered the same lesson as everyone else who has ever led a baseball operations department.
“It was definitely a learning experience for me to learn that that old adage — you never can have enough pitching — is definitely true,” Posey said last month.
Giants officials felt their rotation depth went nearly into double-digits last spring, but by September, they were scraping the bottom of the 40-man roster and turning to bullpen games. Their relievers were as good as anybody in the first half, but by the end of the year, the pen was made up mostly of inconsistent young pitchers and veterans who had been added over the course of the season.
During every media appearance this offseason, Posey has said pitching is the priority. He reiterated that on Tuesday during his time with reporters at the annual General Managers Meetings, and the exact same conversation is happening every day in internal meetings and Zoom calls.
One Giants official recently put it this way to some others: Every time there’s a conversation about spending on another position or using trade capital to upgrade at second base or right field or backup catcher, everyone needs to take a step back and ask whether those resources would be better spent on more pitching.
The Giants enter the offseason with three locked-in starters in Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Landen Roupp. You could make the argument that they need to add at least three more, given the lack of experienced depth behind those three, Roupp’s elbow scare in 2025, and the fact that Ray has just one year left on his deal. You could also argue that they need just one starter, leaving the fifth spot to a competition between guys like Carson Whisenhunt, Blade Tidwell, Trevor McDonald and Hayden Birdsong.
Realistically, it seems Posey needs to sign or trade for two, but during an appearance on Thursday’s Giants Talk podcast, he said it’s hard to pinpoint an exact number right now.
“It would depend on what’s available on the open market for us to say whether it’s one or two (additions),” Posey said. “The hope is that one or two or three of these (young) guys are really going to grab the bull by the horns and take hold of some of those spots at the back end of the rotation. Hopefully their (mindset) is like, no, I don’t want to be considered a back-end guy. I want to be a frontline guy.”
While this is not considered a particularly strong free agent class overall, there are plenty of pitching options. Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez are expected to get nine-figure deals and Michael King, Zac Gallen and Brandon Woodruff lead a large group of veterans in line for healthy multi-year contracts.
There will be future Hall-of-Famers (Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, one of Tony Vitello’s closest friends) likely looking for one-year deals, and interesting flyers like former Dodgers right-handers Walker Buehler and Dustin May.
The trade market is expected to be active, and Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta will likely see their names on MLB Trade Rumors often. There are also quite a few international options, led by Japanese star Tatsuya Imai, who could go well over $100 million after he’s posted. The Giants want to be more active in that market, and Posey and general manager Zack Minasian saw Imai pitch when they made a trip to Japan early in the season.
Posey will have choices, although a few might not be discussed too much. Giants chairman Greg Johnson recently told The San Francisco Standard that the Giants would be “very cautious” about pursuing pitchers looking for $100 million deals. Asked by NBC Sports Bay Area about those comments and how he views long-term deals as opposed to shorter multi-year deals and one-year contracts like Verlander’s, Posey said he wasn’t sure how much he could say publicly about the market.
“I’ll plead the fifth a little bit on that and just say that we all have our thoughts and opinions and there’s examples of good and bad in all of those scenarios,” he said. “So I think you just have to keep an open mind.”
You can say the same about closer contracts, and that’s another glaring roster hole as the Giants enter the offseason. Camilo Doval was traded, Randy Rodriguez had Tommy John surgery and Ryan Walker had a difficult season, so the Giants could be looking for two or three new late-inning arms ahead of next spring.
On that front, the front office is currently more focused on minor league free agents and adding depth. Posey noted that relievers are “volatile” and hinted the Giants will stay away from the higher end of the closer market.
“It’s probably more likely to come down to a competition is the way that it’ll play out,” he said of the closer role. “But again, we’ll look and see what’s available, either something via trade or another route.”
Posey was behind the plate when Mark Melancon’s implosion started, but even if he stays away from closers looking for three- or four-year deals, the Giants still could add intriguing arms for the ninth. This market has plenty of former closers who might be available on lesser deals, like Pete Fairbanks and Ryan Helsley.
The bullpen is where Posey will see the biggest difference from his first offseason to this one. He inherited a good and experienced group, but trades and injuries have changed that in a hurry.
Posey signed Verlander to a one-year deal last winter but otherwise pretty much left the pitching staff alone. He talked often in the spring about how much young depth there was, but that evaporated pretty quickly, with Kyle Harrison getting traded and others struggling.
The Giants were surprised that they ran out of pitching, and the goal is to make sure that doesn’t happen to Vitello in his first year in charge. This might be more of a quantity-over-quality effort, though. It’s a good offseason to be looking for a high-end starter, but the Giants have massive future commitments to a position player core led by Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, Matt Chapman and Jung Hoo Lee. Webb and Ray are due a combined $48 million next year, too, and after that, there’s labor uncertainty for the entire industry.
Posey said there’s “no question” that those payroll commitments impact how the Giants will view this offseason. The young pitching dried up last season, but given that lack of long-term payroll flexibility, it’ll be crucial that the Giants find some new contributors from their farm system. There’s nothing more valuable than cost-controlled young pitching, and Posey still sees plenty of young Giants who can help solve the organization’s pitching shortage.
“We want to put the best product on the field and we’re going to consider every angle to do that, but you also have to look to the future … we’re going to have to have players from our minor league system be impact players,” he said on Giants Talk. “I got to see it when I was playing and I feel like we’re kind of creeping our way there to having some guys that can do that.
“I always think, too, whether it’s right or wrong, obviously talent is going to win out but sometimes when you have that player in your system that comes up and makes a drastic impact, it profoundly affects the rest of your system. They’re looking and saying, ‘This guy was just my teammate and I played alongside him and he’s not that much different than me’ and confidence grows. It’s a long-winded way of saying we’re going to do everything we can to put the best and most entertaining team on the field.”
Gary Payton II's invaluable impact returns in Warriors' win over Spurs
Gary Payton II's invaluable impact returns in Warriors' win over Spurs originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SAN ANTONIO – The invaluable impact Gary Payton II has provided the Warriors for years returned Wednesday night in their best win of the 2025-26 NBA season, beating the San Antonio Spurs 125-120 at Paycom Center on the second night of a back-to-back.
Payton’s role at the start of the season has been as small as it ever has with the Warriors. A second-draft pick, Will Richard, quickly leapt him in the pecking order, keeping Payton’s view of games mostly from the bench. The defensive ace had looked a step slow and was prone to fouls, two things that can’t happen for someone who isn’t much of a threat offensively.
He played 15 minutes of garbage time Tuesday night when the Warriors were blown out in Oklahoma City against the Thunder, and it looked like his services weren’t going to be needed much the next night in San Antonio. Payton replaced Steph Curry for the final 23 seconds of the first half, his only run of the game up to that point.
The second half was a completely different story, for Payton and the Warriors collectively as a team.
Payton played 14-plus minutes in the second half and was a plus-9 as the Warriors outscored the Spurs by 12. Darting for the ball and being a nuisance defensively, Payton in that span had four points, six rebounds – four offensive – two assists and one steal. The stars were the show, and Payton was the special sauce behind the scenes that helped them thrive.
“I thought Gary was fantastic in the second half. And what a pro,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “The guy hasn’t been in the rotation for two weeks, and you never hear anything from him. He stays upbeat, positive. Everybody loves him, and then he always stays ready.”
His game-changing ways began with seven and a half minutes left in the third quarter and the Warriors down by five. Payton’s first offensive rebound led to a Victor Wembanyama foul and two free throws for Curry. The next time down the floor, Payton grabbed a miss from Wemby, gave the ball up to Draymond Green, ran alongside Curry and set a good enough screen on his man that Devin Vassell fouled Steph for three more free throws. Payton on the Warriors’ next offensive possession assisted Moses Moody for a three.
Later in the third, he snuck behind the Spurs defense for a spinning layup, and his fourth and final rebound of the quarter became a foul on San Antonio and two free throws for Jimmy Butler.
Those who have been around Payton since he stuck with the Warriors in the 2021-22 championship season are used to this. Al Horford was on the other side of that as a member of the Boston Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals and poured praise on Payton while answering a question about Curry.
“Gary Payton just completely changed the game for us in the second half,” Horford said. “His offensive rebounding, defensively – just his impact. I was just very impressed with him, because you know, to be able to be called out like that and he just kept making winning play after winning play.
“There was a sequence there in the third quarter where he right away instinctively went to Steph on a screen to get him open, and Steph gets fouled for three shots. It’s one of those things that the guy, he just understands how to play. He knows how to play. He’s a winner. I was just impressed with Gary tonight.”
Payton played the final six and a half minutes of the fourth quarter and came down with two more offensive rebounds in one sequence. First, he found the angle from a missed three from Green and sprinted past Luke Kornet for his third offensive rebound of the game. In the same possession, Payton went from the right corner to the free-throw line to secure a short 3-point attempt by Curry, took one dribble and gave the ball back to a relocated Curry in the corner.
This time, Curry’s three went down and the Warriors’ lead increased from seven points to 10 with four and a half minutes left in the game.
The Warriors entered the day ranked 26th in offensive rebounds, a number that highlighted larger issues. All 6-foot-2 of Payton (on a good day) reminded everybody the importance of crashing the offensive glass and keeping possessions alive.
“Just crash,” he said. “The league’s been changing a lot, so everybody’s crashing. Look at the ball and see where it might end up. Might be short, might be long. Run through the nail and just be in the right area where the ball usually comes from on threes. So, just crash.”
If you know how to play with Curry, finding him for open shots or freeing him with timely screens, you’re going to get minutes. Payton understands how to get the best out of the Warriors’ superstar as well as anybody.
He isn’t seen as a star. He isn’t part of the Warriors’ Big Three. But Curry appreciates Payton as much as any of his teammates.
“It’s huge. He’s a professional. He’s been through this where you got to stay ready,” Curry said. “Whether it’s been him being injured, coming in and out of the lineup or coach’s decision on who he’s putting out there. The way that he impacts the game defensively, we all know that, but he just seems to find himself in the right place at the right time offensively. He knows how to set screens, keep the ball moving and if he’s open shoot it.
“It’s simple, boring basketball, but it’s winning basketball. And he does a great job of being ready whenever he’s called to go out there and hoop.”
At the end of last season, it looked like Payton’s days with the Warriors could be numbered. Payton wanted otherwise, as did Curry. Payton had to wait and wait and wait like everybody else for Jonathan Kuminga’s restricted free agency, eventually agreeing to terms before Kuminga did.
There was only one team Payton wanted to keep playing with, and his value that outnumbers stats turned to major impact once again in the biggest win thus far for the Warriors that they had to have.
“It’s the story of my career,” Payton said. “Don’t play, I play. Might not play, then I get thrown back into the fire. It’s another day at work. Staying ready, being ready, that’s it.
“Whatever I can do to help out the team. Just go in and make plays. Try to get the ball to certain guys, and just do the little things.”
Patience and perseverance paid off for Payton. Respect the game, and it rewards you in return.
Curry outshines Wembanyama as Warriors edge Spurs
Stephen Curry scored 46 points as the Golden State Warriors inflicted a first home NBA defeat of the season on the San Antonio Spurs.
The two-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) helped the Warriors end a six-game losing streak on the road with a 125-120 victory at Frost Bank Center in Texas.
Victor Wembanyama and Stephon Castle became the first Spurs players to record triple-doubles in the same game, but Curry scored 29 points in the second half as the Warriors outscored the Spurs 76-64.
"That third quarter is what we do - getting stops, pushing, creating easy offence. Thankfully I was able to knock a couple down," Curry said.
Jimmy Butler contributed 28 points and eight assists for the Warriors, while Moses Moody scored 19 points.
Thunder thrash Lakers
Reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 30 points, five rebounds and nine assists as defending champions the Oklahoma City Thunder thrashed the Los Angeles Lakers 121-92.
The Thunder led by 37 points at one stage, allowing Gilgeous-Alexander and other starters to sit out the fourth quarter at Paycom Center.
Five-time All-Star pick Luka Doncic managed 19 points and seven assists for the Lakers, before being subbed when the result was all but confirmed by the final quarter.
Thunder are top of the Western Conference with a 12-1 record.
"We definitely got better the last two days and that's the main goal," said Gilgeous-Alexander.
Jokic downs Clippers
Nikola Jokic scored 55 points, including 25 in the first quarter, as the Denver Nuggets extended their winning run to six games with a 130-116 victory at the Los Angeles Clippers.
The three-time MVP also claimed 12 rebounds and six assists at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California.
It is the fourth time that Jokic has scored at least 50 points in a regular season game.
Watch Nikola Jokic drop 55 on Clippers as Nuggets cruise to win
In a season where Nikola Jokic is arguably playing the best basketball of his career, Wednesday night was his best game of the season.
Jokic put up 25 points in the first quarter, took over in the third and finished with 55 points on the night — not to mention 12 rebounds and six assists — to help the Nuggets pull away in the second half and cruise to a 130-116 win over the Clippers on the road.
HAVE YOURSELF A NIGHT NIKOLA JOKIĆ.
— NBA (@NBA) November 13, 2025
⚒️ 55 PTS (33 IN 1H)
⚒️ 12 REB
⚒️ 6 AST
⚒️ 18-23 FGM
⚒️ 5-6 3PM
⚒️ 34 MIN
⚒️ DEN W
He's just the 4th player in NBA history to score 55 PTS on 78 FG% or better pic.twitter.com/NpKKAK6rna
That tied Jokic with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for the most points scored in a single game this season. Jokic did it while playing just 2:30 in the fourth quarter because Denver had the game in hand.
These are two teams going in opposite directions — this was the sixth straight win for the Nuggets and the sixth straight loss for the Clippers. Los Angeles learned earlier in the day that it will be without Bradley Beal for the rest of the season due to hip surgery, while Kawhi Lenord remains out with a sprained ankle.
Aaron Gordon had 18 points and Jamal Murray added 15 for the Nuggets. James Harden scored 23 points with eight rebounds and five assists to lead the Clippers, while Jordan Miller added a career-high 22 points and Ivica Zubac scored 18.
What Turner's age-33 season could look like, by the numbers
What Turner's age-33 season could look like, by the numbers originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
It was another steady campaign for Trea Turner.
A .304 average, 179 hits, 94 runs and 36 stolen bases. The shortstop earned his second career batting title — as the only hitting in the National League to eclipse .300 — and reminded everyone why he’s one of baseball’s best shortstops.
He was just as sharp in the field — arguably as sharp as he’s ever been. Turner posted 17 Outs Above Average in 2025 which was tied for third among all shortstops and in the 99th percentile leaguewide.
This was easily his best season since joining Philadelphia.
Now comes the challenge.
Set to earn $27.2 million, Turner enters his age-33 season in 2026, and the question is whether he can keep producing at that level.
Based on history and his profile, there’s reason to believe the 32-year-old, who turns 33 on June 30, can.
Since 2000, 27 shortstops have recorded at least 500 plate appearances at age 32, and 19 have done so at 33. The drop-off between the two age groups has been mild. The average slash line at 32 is .277/.337/.422; at 33, it’s .266/.331/.404.
If Turner followed that trend, a projected .293/.349/.439 line (.788 OPS) would still rank among the top National League shortstops — second, in fact, based on 2025 OPS marks.
Still, some of Turner’s underlying data points toward regression. According to Baseball Savant, his 42.1% hard-hit rate ranked in the 44th percentile — his lowest qualified mark of his career — and his 5.8% barrel rate (22nd percentile) tied a career low.
Turner’s hitting profile is unconventional. His chase, whiff and walk rates all sit below league average, yet he consistently produces. The approach isn’t built for power — and that’s fine with the Phillies.
“I don’t care about home runs,” manager Rob Thomson told On Pattison back in May. “We’ve got plenty of guys that can do that. I want you to get on base.”
Turner did exactly that, and there’s little reason to expect it to change.
President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski even echoed that sentiment during the end-of-season press conference when asked about Turner potentially trying to incorporate more power. “We don’t need more pop. His numbers were phenomenal,” he said. “He’s tough on himself; that’s great. But he doesn’t have to give us any more offense than he did.”
Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea – Imagn Images
Defensively, his turnaround was dramatic.
In his first two seasons with the Phils, he tallied -9 OAA with 40 errors. Disappointing numbers from a $300 million shortstop.
In 2025, Turner’s +11 fielding run value was tied for 18th among all defenders in baseball.
His improvement can be attributed to and coincided with a closer relationship and more work with infield coach Bobby Dickerson during Spring Training, as detailed by The Athletic’s Matt Gelb in March.
Whatever adjustments he made, they stuck — a positive sign as he ages at one of the game’s most demanding positions.
The only real concern is health. Turner has dealt with hamstring strains in both legs the past two years. His speed remains elite — 100th percentile sprint speed this past season — but that makes lower-body maintenance essential. Hamstrings tend to linger, and the Phillies will likely manage his workload carefully.
While his contract outlook may not be pretty, as he’s signed through his age-40 campaign in 2033, Turner’s outlook for 2026 is simple: stay healthy and stay consistent. If he does both, another batting title — and maybe his first career Gold Glove — could be within reach.
Knicks Notes: Impact of Jalen Brunson's injury; Mike Brown says there's no excuse for loss to Magic
Mike Brown thought the Knicks got their "a—es" kicked by the Magic on Wednesday. But that wasn’t the worst thing to happen to Brown’s team.
Late Wednesday, Jalen Brunson was leaving the locker room in a protective boot and on crutches. A reporter from The Athletic saw Brunson leaving the locker room in the boot and crutches. A league source confirmed that Brunson did indeed leave The Garden on crutches with his right foot in a boot.
Brunson rolled his ankle with 1:52 to go in the game. We don’t know the specific injury or the severity of the injury, but the Knicks left MSG knowing that Brunson had suffered a legitimate injury.
Oftentimes, you don’t know the true severity of an injury until the player wakes up the next morning. Maybe Brunson wakes up on Thursday feeling great. But he left Wednesday’s game like a player who knew he was hurt. Shortly after Brunson turned his ankle, he intentionally fouled Jalen Suggs to stop the game. (The Knicks trailed Orlando by 15 at the time.) Rather than going back to the Knicks bench, Brunson went directly to the Knicks locker room.
KNICKS WITHOUT BRUNSON
If Brunson is out – and it’s safe to assume that he’ll miss Friday’s game against Miami, at a minimum – what do the Knicks do?
I assume they’d go with Miles McBride at point guard. Brown has been creative with his lineups/rotations early in the season. So maybe he goes in a different direction.
Regardless of who is in or out of the starting lineup, the Knicks have a lot to clean up ahead of their matchup with the Heat.
TOO MUCH TALKING TO REFS
Orlando neutralized the Knicks on the boards. They were the aggressor for much of the night, shooting ten more free throws than the Knicks. Brown didn’t seem to have an issue with how the game was called. He was instead disappointed in how his team engaged with the refs.
“In the first half, everything that happened on the court we blamed on the officials. And that was disappointing to see because we were the culprits of a lot of stuff that happened out on the floor,” Brown said. “Six of their first eight points came from the free throw line and we fouled them. I couldn’t even use a challenge because we were fouling. If one of our keys is to play physical without fouling, but our first six points, first three or four possessions that they had, start at the free throw line, then we’re not giving ourselves a chance and we’re letting them get comfortable with the way that they play.”
The Magic took 33 free throws; the Knicks had 23 attempts from the line. Brown felt the Knicks didn’t crash the offensive glass as well as they should have. Usually, if you don’t crash the offensive glass, you can get back and defend well in transition. That wasn’t the case for the Knicks on Wednesday.
“Shot went up and everybody just watched and then jogged back,” Brown said. “…. The way we chart it, they still scored 33 fast break points against us for the game.”
Brown obviously didn’t like his team’s approach on the board. But he was more bothered by the Knicks’ reaction to the refs.
“I personally think that it doesn’t matter how the game is being called. If we’re locked in and we’re playing like we’re capable of, we don’t need to rely not eh officials making this call or that call,” Brown said. “Our focus in that area was not where it should have been.”
Mikal Bridges agreed with Brown’s assessment.
“Got to leave the refs alone. Even if there’s fouls or something, everybody makes mistakes,” Bridges said. “Just got to, let it go and bring energy to the other end.”
BIG MINUTES FOR LANDRY
Landry Shamet was the first sub off the bench on Wednesday. He was also on the floor to close the game. In all, Shamet played 27 minutes – the most of any Knick reserve. Josh Hart played 18 minutes.
Brown went with Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup on Wednesday and had Miles McBride in over Bridges to close the game.
“Yeah, I was just trying to spark something defensively, offensively. Deuce hit a couple threes. I thought he was pretty good defensively. Same with Landry; I thought he was pretty good defensively; he hit a couple of shots,” Brown said. “So I was just trying to go with, find the combination that I thought could possibly get it done on both ends. Just searching.”
Brown clearly isn’t afraid to try different combinations of players as he feels things out with his team.
NO EXCUSES
Brown was asked after the game if the Knicks were tired on Wednesday because it was the second game of a back-to-back.
“Nah, we're a no-excuse team and if we're a no-excuse team, we've gotta go play the right way as best we can and not lay the blame any place else except square on us,” the coach said. “So it doesn't matter if we play three games in a row, we've gotta go figure it out, and if we can't, maybe I need to go deeper into the bench and play guys lesser minutes. Maybe that's where I can help them, but we can't sit here and say. ‘We played last night and they did this.’ No, go win the game, play the right way, leave it on the floor, and if you leave it on the floor the right way, you're not gonna win them all, then you'll take an L and move onto the next one. I just didn't think we did a great job doing what we're supposed to do to set the tone, especially at the beginning of the game.”
The coach also felt the Knicks didn’t handle the Magic’s attempts to get a bigger player matched up with a Knicks guard on their offensive possessions.
“When that happened, our smaller guys did not do their work early. What I mean by that is that they let the bigger guy walk them – or run them – all the way down to the charge line (near the basket) and then we tried to start fighting,” Brown said. “And one of our main rules is if you’re guarding a bigger guy, you’ve gotta stand him up; at least at the top of the key. We didn’t do that.”
The coach also felt the Knicks didn’t do enough to combat the mismatches when guarding Orlando’s pick-and-roll.
“We were getting cracked on the pick and roll – or the DHO (dribble hand off) because we weren’t up into the ball,” the coach said. “So our big ended up taking the ball and they ended up rolling us to the post and we didn’t do a good job recognizing it and trying to switch as they rolled a small down to the post.”
BRUNSON OFF THE BALL
Before the game, Brown was asked if he uses Steph Curry as a model in any way for how Brunson plays off the ball.
Brown, who coached Curry as an assistant in Golden State, said that he has used Curry as a template for his own point guards.
“I always felt that if I every had a team, I don’t care what my point guard is like, I’m going to try to get him off the ball so that he’s comfortable with it during the regular season and then come playoff time, teams can’t sit on it and say, he’s dominant in the pick-and-roll so let’s keeping it out of his hands,” the coach said. “Now you got to defend him in a lot of different ways. Not only that, it’ll be hard to just get up and deny him, bully him, because he’s not just going back to get the ball every time. If the defense wants to play you this way, go to the corner. The ball will find you if we’re moving and spacing the right way. That’s what I did with (De’Aaron Fox in Sacramento). He’s a pick-and-roll dominant guy, ball in his hands. And that’s what I’m trying to do with Jalen.”
Blackhawks Relinquish Three Leads, Lose To Devils In OT
CHICAGO - The Chicago Blackhawks came into Wednesday's matchup with the New Jersey Devils having lost six consecutive matchups. With both of these teams on the rise, it was expected to be a tight game throughout.
For the most part, however, the Devils outplayed the Blackhawks, but Spencer Knight's goaltending and some timely goal scoring kept Chicago in it.
In the first period, the Blackhawks outshot the Devils 12-10 and had a 1-0 lead. In the second and third, New Jersey outshot Chicago 23-8 and outscored them 3-2 to force overtime. The Blackhawks relinquished three leads in the process.
In overtime, New Jersey almost exclusively controlled play. On their fourth shot of the extra period (the Blackhawks had 0), the Devils won it on a hat-trick goal scored by Simon Nemec.
The Blackhawks collected a standings point, which they can thank Spencer Knight for. Knight made 33 saves on 37 shots in the loss.
Connor Bedard's Point Streak
One of Chicago's goals was scored by Connor Bedard. This pretty 5-on-3 goal was the first goal that put them up 1-0. Bedard's point streak is now up to nine games. His 26th point also ties him with Leo Carlsson and Macklin Celebrini for second in the league.
Landon Slaggert Makes Quick Impact Upon Return
In addition to Frank Nazar and Jason Dickinson, who were already expected to be out, Andre Burakovsky's game-time decision turned out to be an absence against the Devils. After the game, head coach Jeff Blashill confirmed that Burakovsky had an illness.
"I think he'll be back Saturday, knock on wood," Blashill said of Burakovsky.
In his place, they had Landon Slaggert called up, ready to go. He made an impression upon his return, as he tipped in a Louis Crevier shot for their second goal of the game. His time in Rockford seems to have served him well, as he was noticeable on many occasions.
Sam Lafferty also scored a beautiful goal. With three very important forwards out of the lineup, a guy like Lafferty needs to take advantage of his opportunity to draw back in.
Watch Every Blackhawks Goal
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xhey siri could you play Chelsea Dagger pls🎶
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xback and better than ever😎
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on Xa Sam Lafferty Chicago Blackhawks goal🙂↕️🙂↕️Next Up For Chicago
The Toronto Maple Leafs are going to be in town to play the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night. The Blackhawks will be seeing an 8-8-1 Maple Leafs team that is not playing up to their standard that they've created during the Auston Matthews era. That game will come at 6 PM CT on CHSN in Chicago and as a part of Hockey Night in Canada.
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Simon Nemec completes hat trick with OT game-winner to lift Devils over Blackhawks, 4-3
CHICAGO (AP) —Defenseman Simon Nemec scored his third goal of the game at 3:28 of the overtime to lift the New Jersey Devils to a 4-3 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Wednesday night.
Dawson Mercer also scored and Jack Hughes had two assists for Eastern Conference-leading Devils, 3-0-1 in their last four. Jacob Markstrom stopped 17 shots.
Chicago’s Connor Bedard scored for the fourth straight game and extended his points streak to a career-high nine games, with eight goals and 11 assists in the run. Landon Slaggert connected after being recalled from Rockford of the AHL on Wednesday, Sam Lafferty added a highlight reel goal for his first point of the season and Spencer Knight made 33 saves.
In the extra period, the 21-year-old Nemec took a stretch pass from Markstrom, raced in and beat Knight high on the glove side for his first career hat trick. Nemec connected for the second straight game and recorded his first multi-goal outing after not scoring in his first 15 contests this season.
The Devils extended their winning streak against the Blackhawks to seven games.
Bedard opened the scoring with a 5-on-3 power-play goal with 1:25 left in the first period, firing with Markstrom down.
Knight sparkled in the second when New Jersey outshot Chicago 14-3 and 11-0 to close out the period. But Nemec broke in from the left side and tucked a backhander inside the post to tie it 1-all on the Devils’ 24th shot with 15 seconds left in the period.
Slaggert’s deflection at 3:05 of the third put Chicago back ahead. Mercer fired in a one-timer off Hughes’s pinpoint feed to tie it at 2 at 10:13
Lafferty sped in and put Chicago ahead 3-2 with 6:28 left in the third period. Set up by Hughes, Nemec tied it at 3 with a one-timer from the left side with 4:46 left in regulation.
Chicago’s Ryan Donato skated in his 500th NHL game.
Up next
Devils: At Washington on Saturday.
Blackhawks: Host Toronto on Saturday.